Breaking Under Pressure
by Lgbabyblu
Summary: Fenton, Joe and Frank go on a hiking trip when things go wrong. Will they survive another day in the wilderness or will they be left to die.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, this is my 1st'est time writing Hardy Boys, but not first time writing (So yes! If you saw my other story, that wasn't my first time writing)!!!! Okay, hope you like it!! I've been dying to try writing this out!! Have fun reading!!

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"Frank…" Joe grunted, shifting his camping pack over to his other shoulder.

The 17 year old Hardy was hanging off the side of a mountain, and seriously felt something was wrong because he was slipping drastically. He tried to hold onto the rope tighter, but he kept slipping lower down the side of the mountain.

"What?" Frank said, looking down at his brother who was sliding down the side of the mountain.

"Something's wrong with my equipment!" Joe yelled back to his year older brother with another grunt.

His grip was slipping fast.

"Just hold on, but keep sliding slowly." Frank said concerned. "I'm coming down!"

"What's going on?" Fenton asked, peering down the mountain side.

He was the first one who began the climb up, and had already reached the top of the mountain. He eyes were full of concern as he watched Frank retreat back down.

"Dad! Something's wrong with Joe's harness straps. He has to go down!" Frank shouted up.

He began bouncing quickly down the rocky surface, trying to go faster than Joe so he could help him have a gentler landing, but also trying to avoid the jagged rocks jutting out to claw at him.

"Frank! I can't hold on!" Joe said frantically.

His gloves had burned through from him trying to hold onto the rope. Now the rope was going against his skin.

Without a thought, Fenton hooked up his rope again, and started down the mountain side towards his sons. He was just hoping he'd get there in time.

"It's okay Joe! Hold on!" Fenton shouted down, hearing his youngest son's cry for help.

"You've only got another 50 feet Joe! Hold on!" Frank said, gliding down the mountain faster, letting go of more rope.

Once he got to Joe, he tried to help his younger brother with his harness, wondering what was wrong. He momentarily stopped Joe from falling anymore, but the extra weight only brought him to falling faster.

"Frank! You can't help me! Let go!" Joe said helplessly, holding onto his brother for dear life, but they were sliding fast.

"Don't worry there baby brother." Frank smiled back with confidence. "You fall, I fall."

"Frank…"

"Don't worry. We'll land okay. My harness will hold us both. You don't want to fall do you?" Frank said as they glided down.

"Not really."

"Good, so just be quiet." Frank said, looking up.

He could see his dad was gaining on them, but still about 30 feet away. That was when he noticed something above his dad… more like on the top of the mountain. It was some figure he couldn't really see, but he saw the gleam. It was a knife. "Dad!"

"Frank!" Joe screamed as his rope snapped and he felt vertigo for a second before falling backwards down the mountain.

Frank felt a jolt of his harness as the extra weight lifted, and the harness stopped him from falling. He watched as his younger brother fell fast down into a robust tree before he was hidden from sight. His face paled, hoping Joe was okay. It was only about 20 feet. His father was by his side just before he started down again.

"Come on Frank." Fenton said sternly, but his eyes showed deep worry.

He didn't want the man to cut their ropes also, and there would be no way to help his youngest son if they were injured also.

Luckily for them, the mysterious figure didn't cut their ropes, but the father and son was really worried about Joe. Quickly, they reached the bottom, untying themselves from their climbing ropes.

"I don't see him." Frank said worried, running into the woods.

With his sharp eagle eyes, Fenton spotted Joe's climbing rope in one of the buses. He ran to it, picking the rope up. He followed the rope for a little while before he heard a distinct groan.

"Joe!" Frank yelled out, almost tripping over a few bushes before reaching his younger brother.

His heart was palpitating hard with worry.

* * *

Joe screamed as he felt the wind blow quickly past him. He closed his eyes once he landed into the branches of a big tree. Branches brushed by him, and scratched him, but luckily he didn't hit any big branches. He was hoping the end wouldn't come for a while, but he landed hard into a bush under the tree. He felt a jolt of pain before everything seemed to stop in time.

Joe had his eyes closed. He was wondering if he was dead or not. He was breathing hard, not sure if he wanted to open his eyes yet. He didn't know how long he was lying on the ground, but he soon heard some echoing, familiar voices. Wait… if he heard voices… that meant he's alive!

Joe opened his eyes, looking at his surroundings. He would have shouted back to Frank and his dad, but his vocal chords were still shot by fear. After he got his breathing under control, he tried pushing himself up but the ache that came with pushing himself up involuntarily made him release a groan.

"Joe!" Frank yelled, running over to his younger brother. "Ar..Are. you okay?" Frank asked, kneeling down to his Joe.

"I..I..I'm ..okay." Joe said, looking at his brother with a grimace.

"Joseph, look at me." Fenton said sternly, lifting Joe's chin up with the side of his finger.

Fenton was struck with concern, and wanted to kill the person who had done this, but right now he had to tend to his son. Although he always looked calm and collected during many situations, he felt just the opposite inside.

"Your pupils are dilating right, and I don't see any signs of a concussion." Fenton said with a serious expression. "But your head is bleeding."

"You sure you're okay Joe? When I catch the bastard that…" Frank fumed, throwing a rock at a tree.

"It's okay Frank. I'm all right." Joe said, reaching a hand out to put a comforting hand on Frank's shoulder, but grunted as a sharp pain spread through his shoulder.

"You okay son?" Fenton asked with concern, putting his hand on top of Joe's hand which was gripping onto his injury. "Let me see that." Fenton said, slowly removing Joe's hand from his shoulder.

"AhhOw…" Joe said grimacing as his dad lifted his shirt up to look at his shoulder. "What hit me?"

"Seems like a branch since the bruise on your shoulder is long and thick." Fenton said, pulling down Joe's shirt after inspection. "You sure you're all right?" He asked, as Joe nodded, putting his hand over his shoulder again.

Frank stalked around his younger brother and father. The bruises imbedded on his brother's body fueled his anger. It wasn't a really big secret that he was little over protective when it came to his younger brother. It also wasn't a really big secret that Joe had always looked up to him ever since he was born, especially after what happened when the two were only 6 and 7. His father had had a foot into the investigation business and he had already gained a few enemies. He knew his father was guilty about the incident because his dad too had a slight overprotection over Joe, because being the youngest; Joe was a big target for dad's adversaries. He could still remember the look of defeat in his dad's eyes on that day 11 years ago.

* * *

**Flashback**

"_Shhh Joey. It's okay. Dad is going to find us. He will, I know he is." 7 year old brown haired, brown eyed Frank Hardy said soothing, holding onto his shaking brother tightly. _

_A few tears slipped down his face at his younger brother's sluggish movement. He was scared. Both of them were locked down in the cold, wet basement, and Joe was injured._

"_Fwwa…Fwwa.. wank. I wa..wa..nn..a… ggg…ggo… hh..ho..me." Joe stuttered with a wispy _

_Joe had been beaten badly to unconsciousness. Frank could feel his brother shaking under his arms. _

"_Ss…so…so cold Fra…aan..nk…" Joe said with a soft voice, his eyelashes lightly touching together as his will of staying awake was diminishing. _

"_No Joey!" Frank said, lightly slapping his brother's face. "Stay awake. Please stay awake. Remember when Sam helped daddy when he got hit in the head. He said daddy had to stay awake. You have to stay awake." He said with fright that his brother would sleep forever._

_Sam Radley was their dad's partner while investigating. Although, he was only 7, Frank was very observant, especially when he got to learn important stuff from people. He remembered Sam saying that if a person gets knocked on the head and stays asleep for a little while and wakes up, they should be staying awake or they'd go into something he… he couldn't' remember, but it meant they were going to sleep forever. _

"_I can't." Joe cried, weakly clutching onto his brother's shirt. _

_All of a sudden, both of the boys heard loud slamming noises upstairs, and voices before the door to the basement was thrown open. Frank almost leapt for joy when he saw his father come down the stairs, but his hopes died when he saw the guy pressed behind his dad's back. _

"_Dad!" Frank said, tears of joy rolling down his face from seeing his father. _

"_Frank, Joe, are you two okay?" Fenton asked, as he got pushed down to the ground._

"_Shut up!" Kilmur shouted, making the boys shudder in fear. "What a nice reunion. Be real sorry to split you guys up, but then again, you killed my brother so what will stop me from killing your sons?" _

"_Dad?" Frank said wide eyed, knowing exactly what was going to happen but not understanding why._

"_There you go, tell him." Kilmur said, spitting at Fenton's feet. "Tell them how you killed my brother." _

_Fenton looked up, anger flashing on his face when he saw his babies treatment. _

"_I.. I..It was a few months ago. His brother was caught smuggling drugs and he knew he was going to get caught. I had no choice. He was going to shoot a girl he kidnapped on the streets, so I shot him." _

"_Liar! You're a cold blooded killer, that's the truth!" Kilmur said in anger, bringing his foot back just to swing forward to slam into Fenton's gut._

_Fenton got thrown forward in pain. He held onto his sore spot, dropping to the ground._

"_Dad! No! Go away!" Frank yelled as Kilmur walked over to them and grabbed hold of his wrist. "Leave him alone! Let me go!" Frank screamed in terror._

_He kicked every way, trying to get free, but he wasn't over powered by a big man who smelled on liquor._

"_Now beg for me, beg for me to not kill your son." He said, holding both of Frank's wrists together in one hand with his gun pointed straight at Joe's still figure. The only thing that showed that he was alive was the up and down movements on his chest. _

_Fenton's eyes grew wide as he kneeled to push himself up. _

"_He's only a boy! If you're going to hurt someone, fight a man, not a baby!" Fenton said, trying to persuade his assailant from doing the inevitable._

"_But living with the guilt would hurt you way more than it would ever do to kill you. Now beg for me. Beg for me not to kill him and I'll spare you some time with him!" Kilmur said with a sly smile, seeing the big Fenton Hardy grovel at his feet._

_Although it was humiliating to do this act, his son was ore important than his dignity and pride. Fenton kneeled forward with his head to the ground. _

"_Please.. Please don't' kill my boy." Fenton cried, his body shaking with fear that he was going to lose his biggest pride and joys of his life. _

_Frank stared wide eyed at his father. His father had admitted defeat. _

"_That's more like it."_

_Frank was thrown to the ground with a grunt._

"_I'll be back, and I'll be wanting blood." Kilmur said with a maniacal laugh as he climbed the stairs and barred the door shut._

_Fenton crawled over to Joe, picking him up in his arms._

"_Oh baby. What did he do to you." He cried, kissing Joe on the forehead._

"_Dad…" Frank said quietly, looking his father's eyes for any hope of saving themselves but all he saw was despair. _

_He quickly leaped for his dad, hugging his father's torso tightly as he cried._

_

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_

Well I started this in the summer, and I end the chapter there at night yesterday. I actually didn't like this story a lot, cuz I thought it was poorly written, but I put it up anyways. Hope you like it, and review if you do so I know I can write another chapter! Cuz writing another chapter without an audience really sucks.


	2. Chapter 2

Wowee! Thanx for all the reviews! Sorry for the longggggg wait, but you see, I'm in high school, and I got finals this month, and I just finished them so here's the chapter you've been waiting for! Thanx for trying with the constructive criticism, and keep them coming! And as some of you asked, I was trying to think what kind of flash backs you people would want so here yah go. If you have anything in mind you want from the story, feel free to ask. I'll see what I can do.

-Lgbabyblu

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"Here, put this on your shoulder." Fenton said giving Joe a warm towel that he just dipped in the water he was heating up. 

"Thanks." Joe said sincerely, putting the towel on his shoulder.

He winced a little bit as the warmth of the towel spread over the bruise, but then it felt a little better.

Joe sat on a log, staring blankly at the fire blazing in front of him. He felt a little paranoid after his fall, and every snap, crackle or rustle he heard made his heart race a little faster and his nerves a little shot. Anyone would think he would be used to this by now, seeing that he was always targeted one way or another, but it never gets easy when your life gets threatened. He didn't know how he was to feel. He felt angry at the person who cut his ropes, because this was supposed to be some bonding time they were supposed to have. He felt like yelling at the person who did this to him, and yet he felt a little scared. He was then brought out of his thoughts when he felt someone nudge his left arm.

"Earth to Joe." Frank said with a slight chuckle. "Penny for your thoughts?"

The youngest Hardy just shrugged, and then winced as he aggravated his right shoulder bruise. He gave out a soft sigh.

"I don't know. It just seems like our trip is ruined." Joe said with a scowl.

"Well I'll make it up to you when we get home." Fenton said, sitting on Joe's right side. "What do you say? We'll have Martha's famous ice cream sundae? Well, once we get out of here first thing tomorrow morning. It's a little to late and dark right now."

"Yeah, but I wished for once we could go somewhere and be left alone."

Fenton felt his spirits dropped. He had taken a career where there were a lot of sacrifices, but he never thought that his family would be in danger. His whole family was suffering from what he enjoyed to do. Maybe, just maybe he should quit before it gets worse. It was selfish for him to keep doing something he loved over his loved ones. He still remembered the simpler times when he was just an amateur detective in Bayport. He hadn't had any cases to do for a while so he got to stay home. Frank was already in preschool and was with Laura for the day for "Take your kid to work Day." Joey had been home alone with Aunt Gertrude as usual, but he had decided to spend sometime with his youngest son that day.

**_Flashback _**

"_Where we goin' daddy?" 3 year old Joe asked with anticipation. _

_He was a little jealous that Frank got to spend the day with Mommy, but when his Daddy told him the surprise trip they were going to, he was jumping for joy. They were now driving down the street, and he was strapped in his car seat playing with his toy race car, quietly making brrrroming sounds. _

"_Look out the window Joey and you'd see." Fenton said, as he looked at the rear view mirror. _

_He saw Joey's face light up when he realized where they were going. _

"_The beach! Are we going to build sand castles?" Joe asked as his dad parked the car and was getting him out of his car seat. _

"_Take my hand baby. Don't want you to get hit by a car." Fenton said with a chuckle, seeing his youngest son hold onto his shirt tail but was jumping up and down. _

_Fenton went to the trunk of his car, pulling out the duffel bag full of beach necessities that he had packed the night before. After he put the shoulder strap of the bag over her shoulder, he picked his son up into his arms, because he really didn't want Joey to accidentally get run over. Laura would slaughter him and kick him out of the house. Although there weren't many people there, there were still cars driving around looking for a shady spot to park in. Before he closed the trunk of the car, he took out the ice crest and held it in his left hand while holding Joey in his right. _

"_Ready to go?" Fenton asked, looking over the shades he just put on. _

"_Absalutily." Joey said, taking his daddy's sunglasses off his daddy's head and putting it on himself. "Now I'm Daddy! The mister-ous Vestagator!" He said._

_Fenton laughed, walking across the parking lot to the sidewalk that led to the beach. _

"_It's mysTERIous INvestigator sweetheart." Fenton laughed, seeing Joey give him a queer look._

"_Tats Zackly what I said." Joey answered back. _

_Fenton was about to correct his son again, but instead just shut his mouth. Today was supposed to be about him and his son with a lot of fun in-between, not a grammar lesson. Besides, Joey was only 3 years old. He had a lot more time to learn later anyways. He put Joey down on the ground when he saw it was safe enough to do so. _

"_Race yah to the beach!" Joey yelled out, taking a head start before Fenton even had time to reply._

_Fenton knew he could easily out run his son even with all the baggage he was carrying, but he purposely feigned being tired and outrun. _

"_I gots here first!" Joey laughed, jumping up and down on the spot he marked as theirs._

"_Phew, I guess I'm starting to get old. Beat by a 3 year old." Fenton said, pretend falling on the ground in exasperation. _

_Joey patted his dad's knee with a pitying looking on his face._

"_It's kay Daddy. I'mma gonna let you win next time and let you run first." Joey said as his dad grabbed him; swing him into the air while lying on his back._

_Joe started laughing as his daddy's fingers were tickling his sides while he was holding him up in the air._

"_You are a silly boy aren't you?" Fenton said, placing Joey on his stomach. "But you're my silly boy, forever and forever." He said, pushing himself up to a sitting position, but Joey was still on his lap._

_Joey looked at Fenton for a little while and hugged hi dad around his waist, even though his arms didn't go all the way around._

"_What was that for?" Fenton asked as his son looked up at his with his cheek on his chest. _

"_Tats just a hug because I love you." He replied simply._

_Fenton swore he wasn't crying, but his eyes did get a little misty._

"_I love you too baby." Fenton said, as they sat there for a while in each other's comfort until Joe looked up at his dad again._

"_Daddy."_

"_Yeah Baby?"_

"_Can we go play now?"_

_**End Flashback**_

Fenton watched as his sons slept. He had volunteered to take the first watched, first because he was their father and second because those were his boys and they were tired. He couldn't stop thinking about those days when everything was a little simpler. Everything only went downhill when he actually got a foot into the detective business. Why hadn't he quit and taken an office job. He'd miss so much of his son's lives, and now he's risking the lives of the ones he love.

Fenton was so deep in their thoughts he didn't see or hear the foot steps that came from behind him. When he finally saw the looming shadow that spread over him from the fire that illuminated the figure behind him, it was too late. He felt something slam into the back of his head, and everything grew black and hazy. He couldn't even get a word out to his two sons who were the real targets of the shadow.

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Sorry for the long wait. Hopefully you people review! Because reviews make me happy and happy means I actually update! Hopefully I'll get something up soon. As for people who like reading stuff about when Hardy family is younger and starting out, I'm actually writing a story that is connected to this one that elaborates 3 year old young and his dad on their trip to the beach. It's a short one and it will be called "Daddy and Me." If you like the idea, I'll continue and finish that one, but if you think it sucks, lol, tell me so I don't wasn't my time! Thanks! More action less flashbacks next time, I promise. Just that so many people wanted the flashbacks. Thanks for reading! 

-Lgbabyblu


	3. Chapter 3

_**Okay, so I was thanx for the reviews! Wowee! I got a request to take out the bold, italicized, flashback/ End flashbacks…. So I dun know? Is it affecting the flow for everyone else, cuz I have no clue how to separate everything then, cuz I really don't wanna just leave flashbacks and the present part of the story together, cuz I would get confused if I read something like that. Sorry, but no flashbacks this time around, but I've decided to head a different direction to this story then I originally planned because of a certain reviewer… erm… I forget whom, but after reading their review gave me a little inspiration (Yah See! Reviews do give brain jolts)! Hope you'll enjoy this next chapter! It's all dedicated to you all who reviewed!**_

_**Lgbabyblu**_

_**Dedicated to: Authorless, Ragna Ice, justdoyourthing, astalder27, kel, jen, littlewing, P.L. Wynter, Diana, Jubie91, prongspadfoot2003, lyn, kira's Watching Angel, Anita, Chris, Julz, Allura, Lyndsay, and Lady Emily!**_

_**P.S. I'll try for longer chapters, but I'm not promising you anything, cuz chapter lengths depend on what I feel like it's the appropriate time to end the chapter.**_

_**

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**_

Fenton woke up to an itch on the bridge of his nose. He reached his arm up to relieve the irritating sensation to find that his hand was touching something moving. He quickly jerked himself awake, even though his mind was still clouded with confusion. When he got his eyes to open, he jumped back, seeing big, brown, hairy spiders in front of him. He was in a spiders nest.

Fear crept into him. Where was he? Why did his head feel like a train was roaring itself across his skull, but the only thing that occurred to him at the time was to get out. He was never too fond of spiders, and he was no expert, but wild spiders were dangerous.

He quickly stood up, feeling the back of his head at the bumped. His unsteady legs did little to hold him up, and if it weren't for a rock crevice in the wall, he would have fallen flat on his face.

"Frank!" Fenton cried out of the pit he was in. "Joe?" His hoarse, exasperated voice echoed across the he assumed and hoped, solid, dirt surroundings.

Fear enveloped his chest. Where were his sons? He had to get out. He had to find his sons.

Examining the 8 foot climb to the opening of the pit, he found a palm fitting rock near him. Using one side of rock, he carved himself a foot hold in the wall, and then another, and then another until he couldn't reach any higher. Putting his foot into the first hold he dug out, he began to climb, digging more holds as he climbed. Before he even got 3 feet off the ground, his arm somehow gave out on him, and he fell hard onto the ground.

"ARhhhhhh!" Fenton yelled in frustration. The hairy crawlers around him began to move around him, feeling the vibration of his anger.

The ache of his back caused him to feel hopeless. Fenton Hardy, the world's most famous investigator stuck in a pit in the ground. Fenton Hardy, the father who doesn't know where his sons were. Fenton Hardy, the loser who pitied himself and deserved to be in this pit. The insults kept repeating themselves over and over in his mind. He couldn't escape.

Why, why, why was he left to suffer here? Did he really deserve this? Where were his sons? His sons, he had to find them. Where were they?

Imagines of his boys flooded his aching mind. His boys were crying. His boys were hurt. His boys need their father more than anything right now!

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself Fenton." He said angrily to himself as he pushed himself off the ground again to try again. "I'm coming boys. Daddy's coming!"

* * *

"Joe! Dad! Where are you?" Frank yelled for the past 10 minutes. He had woken up in the middle of no where, and he was getting frustrated, angry, and scared all at the same time. 

When he had fallen asleep, he was in the middle of the woods, when he woke up, he was near a cliff at the end of the woods looking down at more trees near a roaring, white river. He had then decided to walk into the woods, hoping to find where he was and where his father and Joe were just to get lost. Now he had no clue where he was and the worst was that he didn't know how he got there.

How was it possible that he was taken from their camp to this isolated location without being woken up? He didn't feel woozy, or any signs of being drugged asleep. The strangest phenomenon was that despite all that had happened; he felt a little reassured that everything was going to be okay. He just didn't know exactly why. First things first, he had to find his brother and his dad.

Again he looked around him, trying to figure out where he was. There was no possible way he could have been moved without feeling like he's move. Was this a dream?

"DAD? JOE?" Frank yelled out again just to hear the resounding echo of his voice bouncing off the wrinkled, old tree trunks around him.

Frank walked on for another few minutes until he seemed to be have lost his footing because he was on ground, and suddenly he was floating in midair, just to land back on hard ground.

"Ow." Frank said, rubbing the back of his neck after realizing he had fallen into some kind of pit.

Frank looked up, seeing it was about 7 or 8 feet above him.

Slowly pushing himself up, his face creased in disgust; seeing he was surrounded by arachnids a.k.a. spiders surrounding him and a few smashed ones near and under him. Quickly dusting his clothes off, he tried to figure out a way he could get out of the stupid hole. He didn't exactly like spiders that much.

With a detective's eye, he saw some sort of carved out foot/hand holds in the walls.

Someone must have fallen in here.

Some of the holds were a little unstable so with a heavy sigh, he spun around, locating a sharp rock carelessly touched near him and he started digging. Hopefully he could get out fast, because he didn't want to spend another second longer stranded or stuck in a pit full of spiders.

Joe? Dad? Where are you guys?

* * *

Got to run. Got to run. Got to run far. Can't stop. Can't take breath. Pant. Tired. Falling. 

Joe fell to his hands and knees in a skidded attempt to break his fall. He was wheezing tiredly, trying to catch his breath.

He slowly tried to push himself up to get going, but he ended up just rolling onto his back to stare at the looming, green trees around him.

Every so often, he'd hear a twitter from a few birds, a caw from a bigger bird, some buzzing, some cricketing, and some rustling. His mind kept jumping from one noise to the next.

Putting his hands onto his ears to stop the noise, Joe pushed himself up onto his unsteady feet.

Got to run. Got to run. Got to fun far. Can't stop.

He didn't know where he was running to. He just knew he had to run away from all the noise. He ran with his eyes closed, wandering aimlessly through the woods without any recollection of anything or where he was going.

Suddenly, he stopped. He heard something, a rushing whoosh. There, he caught it again. Rush, whose, water!

Joe ran for all he was worth towards the water. Parched with thirst, he needed to drink, he wash his face, to clear his thoughts.

When he reached the stream, he was dead tired. He fell to his knees, not caring when he landed so close to the water, his pants soaked through.

With the ravenousness of a wild animal, Joe dunked his head into the violent waters, not caring or thinking anything of it. He just needed to clear his thoughts. He drank deeply from the river before pulling his head out to stare at his reflection in the water.

He looked horrible. With bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, to the scratches scattered over his face and exposed areas on his body, he looked like a savage.

Joe broke into tears. What was happening where was he.

When he thought all hope of lost, he heard a voice from somewhere. It was echoing.

"Joe! Dad! Where are you?" The voice was calling.

He knew that voice, but where was it coming from.

His head twitched every which way as he got slowly onto his feet before looking up. There was a massive cliff above him that led to what seemed like more woods.

"Joe! Dad!" The voice called again.

I know that voice. Frank? Frank!

Joe tried to yell out that he was down here, but he had no voice. He wrapping his hands around his throat, trying to get something out, but it was hopeless. He couldn't talk. Frank doesn't know where he is.

Out of anger, he kicked a rock near him into the water, but the rock platform he was standing on was soaked in water. With a silent cry of surprise, Joe fell backwards into the water.

He thrashed around, trying to take a breath. He was lost in a world of twist and turns, and where he didn't know which way was right side up. Everything was turning very dark very fast, and before he knew it, his mind was clear because he succumbed to the dark.

* * *

_**Okay, so what do you people think eh? I think it lacked action, but I guess you can tell me what you think. Personally, I thought it was kind of boring, but I don't exactly know what to write right now. I'm trying to explore different options, so REVIEW!**_

_**Review Happy**_

_**Happy Update**_

_**No Reviews I guess no one cares**_

_**I guess no one cares No/Long Updates**_

_**So make the right choice. VOTE! (Woops) I mean REVIEW!**_

_**Lgbabyblu**_


	4. Chapter 4

Here's another chapter, hope you like it! Sorry for the wait.

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_It wasn't supposed to be this way. It was not supposed to end this way. What have I done?_

"OH GEE…!" Frank yelled, stumbling back to fall on his behind.

He put out his hands behind him to break his fall and to push himself up to run for it. Something large, dark, and making a lot of rustling noises was following close behind him. He didn't need a detective's mind to know to run when he obviously had no means to protect himself.

He'd known for a short while that something was following him, and he had put it off as some sort of wild animal, but now it was becoming very apparent that it wasn't just any wild animal. The thing was, the trees were like wild outgrowth or something because it seriously gave him no more than a 10 foot view of his surroundings.

The rustling noise was growing louder as the mysterious figure behind him was gaining, and wasn't making any attempt of stopping.

Frank gave out a burst of energy to his legs and swerved to the side to try to dodge the lurking form, but it didn't work. Whatever was following him was intent on getting him and he was beginning to get tired of this charade. What or who the heck was following him?

Before he could mull over his thoughts, he felt a sudden jolt at his foot where it was caught between a something sticking out of the ground.

The pain was unbelievably sharp, but he had no time to give out a yell as the figure that was on his tail leapt on him.

Frank gasped in shock. This is it. This is the way he was going to die.

Frank and the mysterious figure rolled around a couple times until he felt himself losing under the strength of his assailant as he somehow ended up on the bottom of the two. He closed his eyes as he saw the raised arm in the air.

"Frank?"

Frank froze, opening his eyes. He could not believe who he was running from.

"Dad?" Frank said amazed.

"Wha..?"

"You?.."

"You first." They said in unison.

"Where have you been?" Frank asked as his dad pulled him up to a sitting position.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! And, I'm so sorry!" Fenton said, looking at Frank up and down.

"I thought you were some monster or something."

"I thought you were the kidnapper!"

"What happened?" Frank asked as he shifted his position but he felt a razor-sharp pain on his ankle.

He fell back in pain, trying to hold back a cry of agony, but the intensity of it with his attempt of seizing his cry made him let a muffled whimper out.

Fenton immediately turned his expression from relief to concern.

"What happened? Did I hurt who when I jumped you?" Fenton asked in embarrassment.

"No." Frank said with his lip between his teeth. "I..I tripped on a root or something."

Fenton lifted Franks pant leg and took off his son's shoe and sock. Frank winced seeing that his foot was two times his shoe.

"Geez. Wished I had some ice for your foot." Fenton said as he examined the red, swollen area around the ankle. "We need to get this swelling down or it'll cut off the blood supply to your foot."

"Dad." Frank said quietly as he realized something was wrong.

"Yes son.?"

"Where's Joe?"

* * *

Joe started coughing violently as he laid on something wet and hard. He felt disoriented. Where was he?

Joe slowly opened his eyes but he had to close them for a few more minutes before trying again.

He felt like he got run over by a truck… twice.

Although he was wet, he felt something warm to the left of him. Opening his eyes slowly again, he could see there was a medium sized fire burning next to him. Past the fire, he could only make out a blurred figure before he again fell back into slumber.

* * *

Very sorry for the long wait, but I have been really busy, and now a little bummed about my school grades. Well hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review  


	5. Chapter 5

Joe woke up to an itching feel on his face. At first, he was too groggy to try to brush the feeling away, but the feeling became so irritating that he had to move his aching arm to brush whatever was on his face off his face.

When he waved his arm wearily on the side of his face, he heard a buzzing noise follow, and the noise slowly became softer, showing that whatever was on his face had flown away.

At first, he wanted to sleep for a little longer, but something was really bothering him. His whole body ached a lot, and a few parts of him hurt, but not bad enough that it felt like something broken. He just knew he had some bruises, but from what? His curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to open one of his eyes to a slit.

He groaned when he saw a pile of black soot in front of his face. The black pile still had small lines of gray smoke coming from it, telling him that someone had lit a fire near him and it had gone out not more than an hour ago.

His first thoughts were that he must be at camp with his father and Frank, and that couldn't be possible because he first wasn't in a tent, second wasn't in a sleeping bag, third, his clothes felt damp, and lastly his throat hurt a lot. Actually a lot of him hurt a lot, but his throat felt like it had been slashed and then ripped apart.

Groaning as he pushed himself up, Joe looked around his surroundings with one eye in squinting and one open in his attempt to fully wake up. He rubbed his eyes to try to wipe the residue of sleep away before unconsciously rubbing his sore throat. It looked like someone else had been there other than him, because he could see a part of the ground was pressed down beside him like someone was sitting there.

The thought that someone was watching him sleep scared him a lot, but then again it could have been Frank or his dad or both. Actually, both were unlikely seeing that he could only locate one set of foot prints, but then again, why was he left alone?

He then remembered his fall.

The river! He had fallen, but who had pulled him out and then tried to dry him out? It couldn't have been anyone dangerous if they person was trying to save him.

"Hhhh..HHhh.." Joe tried to speak, the pain was unbearable.

The thought of not being able to talk at the moment, or yell if he heard someone calling for him…. or SCREAM if someone was after him… not good. He can't panic. The worst case scenario is if he lost control of his nerves and he did something really stupid.

**_Rustle Rustle_**

Joe gasped, he heard something. He wasn't hearing things. That was one part of him that was working correctly, and he heard something big.

Turning from side to side, trying to scope out the intruder, he saw someone or something with a lot of hair.

Was it a bear? No it was too lean and too small. There it was again.

He saw a flash of skin, and that got him to slowly move to a crouching position. He couldn't be caught off guard.

The next thing he knew, something very long and very sharp whizzed by him while slicing right past his right arm.

The red that was seeping down his arm was the only thing he needed to register the part of his brain that screamed, **RUN**!

* * *

"Frank, you okay there?" Fenton said as he continued to support Frank while trying to walk through the dense forest.

"Yeah." Frank grimaced.

His ankle bothered him some, but it wasn't too bad as long as he didn't try to but his full weight on it.

Frank flicked his head up and became eerily quiet all of a sudden.

"Fran..?"

"Shhh…" Frank said softly and slowly.

There it was.

"Dad, I hear water!" Frank said excitedly.

Finally, he could get something cold on his ankle.

Fenton stopped to try to hear what Frank was hearing, and became just as excited when he too heard the rush sound of probably a river.

"I hear it too! WHOOPAH! Success!" Fenton yelled out as he jumped into the arm with one of those leprechauns, shoe-tapping jumps.

"Dad? Are you all right?" Frank asked with a look of amusement on his face.

"Well think about it Frank, we found water and people thrive on water…"

"And where there's water, somewhere must be people!" Frank said as he realized what his dad was getting at.

"If we follow the river either way, we must have to reach somewhere with civilization." Fenton said as he again put his arm under Frank's arm to support him towards the direction of the river that they heard.

When they reached the river side, Fenton slowly put Frank down to sit on a log.

Fenton pulled his arms into his many sweaters and pulled out his t-shirt. Walking to the river's edge, he put his t-shirt into the water and wrung it dry before giving the damp t-shirt to Frank.

"Thanks." Frank said as he gently laid the cold cloth on his semi-throbbing ankle.

It took a minute or two, but the cold sensation started to numb the throb to something almost non-existent if he didn't moved his ankle around.

He watched his dad as his dad scanned the area around him.

Frank felt like he was such dead-weight. His dad could have gone so much further if he didn't have to drag him around with his bum leg.

"Dad…" Frank said sadly. "Maybe you should go and see if there's help without me. You'll find help much faster without having to help me walk."

Fenton frowned in anger and Frank saw something thing he's never seen his dad do, his dad was crying.

"Frank, I'm not leaving you behind."

"But Dad…"

"Frank, I don't know where my youngest son is, and I don't want to not know where my first born is."

"But Dad, I'll be right here…"

"NO FRANK! Don't you understand? Someone deliberately separated all of us, and I was lucky to find you. I'm not going to lose you to you got that?" Fenton said as he turned around away from Frank

He didn't want Frank to know that his father was so raveled about this. He had to keep strong.

"When you've rested, we'll continue."

"Dad…" Frank said wide-eyed.

"I said that's enough!" Fenton yelled, more out of worry than of anger.

"No Dad… look." Frank said as he pointed at the water.

Floating in the stream was a hat with BHS on it that resembled Joe's Bayport High School cap.

Fenton ran towards the stream before leaning over to grab the cap from the river's grip. He then turned the cap around to the inside rim of the hat where he hoped the thing he was looking for wouldn't be.

_Joseph Paul Hardy_

_

* * *

_

_I warned them. OH how I warned them, but they kept coming. Why won't they LEAVE ME ALONE? Why? Is it so hard… why… I didn't mean to do the things I did… I just had to. I'm sorry. Sorry I'd have to do those things again, and this time I won't miss._

_

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_

_**Okay so I finished another one! LOL! You people must be surprised in the sudden updates. Well I don't know, I just started writing instead of questioning everthign I wrote, so every chapter took me less than 2 hours to write. Hope you like it! AND AGAIN! PLEASE REVIEW! This lack of reviews are kinda bumming me down seeing how there are soooo many hits and sooo little reviews. I know some of you are going to my chapter page more than once, but like 200 hits and like 2 reviews or something? Someone isn't reviewing here :( . Well thank you THIS** **much for reviewing everyone! And I hope to work on my grammer issues, but I get so excited on updated to get a beta reader or to re-read myself. Well THANK YOU AGAIN! Check soon to see what's up with this CRAZY story lol. You will never guess. :)  
**_

_**Love Always,**_

_** Lgbabyblu  
**  
_


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: Thanx for the constant support people, especially for the people who constantly give out reviews, even though they have nothign much to say. Hope you enjoy this chapter, although I must warn you it gets a little gross in the end, so don't read if you don't want nightmares.**_

* * *

"No, No, NO!" Frank started to say in his head in panic as he saw the permanent sharpie scrawls of his brother's name.

His right hand clutched the hat as he turned the hat absentmindedly along the edge.

This could not be happening. How did they all get split up and… this was just absurd! What was going on?

Frank sat on rock with his good, left knee bent up to support his left elbow. He had his palm against the side of his head as he started thinking about all the things that were happening to them.

Was someone or some people after them, or was it just a coincidence that all this was happening? The thing was, if someone was after them, wouldn't they have showed themselves or at least gave them some sort of contact so they knew that it was for revenge. Another thing was that as a detective, they had to think in a sense that nothing was a coincidence.

"Dad, do you think that this was just a mishap that this is happening to us or do you think it's someone out for revenge?" Frank asked his dad who was pacing in front of him.

"Hm?" Fenton said as he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"What about?" Frank asked, pushing his thoughts in the back of his mind to help his dad who seemed troubled.

"I don't know… something just strikes me wrong." Fenton said as he continued to pace in front of Frank who wished he would stop walking because it was making him dizzy.

"What is?"

"Well this person or persons who put us here for some reason wants us to be separated, but so far he or she hasn't done anything else to us. I was just wondering what the purpose of doing this was, and if he or she wasn't targeting us in particular, what would he want with Joe if that was whom he or she was targeting unless this was just pure out of no reason that we stumbled upon some lunatic." Fenton said out of breath as he threw his arms up in exasperation.

Frank got his question answered since now he knew his dad was just as clueless as he was.

He thought it was funny that both he and his dad were thinking about the same thing. It must have been in the Hardy genes or something.

"Dad, are we going to look for Joe first or are we going to find help first?" Frank asked with a glum expression on his face.

"My brain tells me to look for help first."

"I'm not leaving without Joe! He might be in trouble or something." Frank said with tears threatening to fall.

"But my heart tells me we need to find Joey." Fenton said as he gave Frank a hug to calm his son down. "Don't worry, we'll find him if it's the last thing I do."

* * *

_Come on, Come on, Come on. Can't quit now Joe. Hardys don't quit._

Joe looked behind him. The figure was still after him.

What did they want? He hadn't done anything wrong unless… could it be an assassin?

This wasn't good at all. His muscles were still dead tired from wall off a mountain and then slipping into a river. What else could possibly go wrong?

An arrow whizzed by him again, barely missing his head.

"Oh shi…" Joe said as he ducked, hobbling along quicker than ever. "Please, please, please let me live." He muttered to himself.

Joe put all his concentration into running and staying alive that he never realized that his surroundings were changing drastically. He was heading towards denser and denser areas and forest.

When he was sure no one coming at him again, Joe stopped abruptly on a large rock, putting his head against it as he tried to get his breathing under control.

Once he could breathe correctly, he slowly lifted his head, looking around his surroundings. From one look of the environment around him, he knew he was lost. For one, he could clearly see he was on a path, to what he did not know.

That brought out the curiosity in him. Paths usually lead to people, but this path looked really old and hardly used. It was smooth, hard-packed dirt.

He slowly started walking through the path, once in while turning around abruptly when he heard a rustle or a twig snap.

_Don't panic. Don't panic. Panic means death._

He continued to walk, and the walking paid off. Just off at a distance, he could see a figure wearing camping clothes, including a fisherman's hat. The figure wasn't moving, but he could clearly see standing up with his back towards him.

Joe broke off in a run, exhilaration clearly on his face. He could finally go home. He would just explain to the person who he was and that he was lost and then they would take him to a park ranger and then they would help him find his dad and big brother.

The thought of his family made him worry. He hoped they were okay, wherever they were.

When he finally made it to the man who seemed to be looking at something in the distance, Joe calmed himself down, not wanting to scare the man.

"Mister?" Joe said with a smile, but the smile turned to a frown as the man was answering him. "Mister?" He tried again, but the man gave no answer still.

Maybe the guy was deaf or something?

Reaching out a hand, Joe put his hand on the mans shoulder, hoping to get the guy to look at him but he felt something strange. The mans shoulder felt like it had something missing.

Swallowing down his fear, Joe walked in front of the man. The sight that graced him threw Joe back as he screamed and threw up on the ground.

The man Joe saw in the distance was a man but his head was cut onto a cross like pike, and then put up like a scarecrow. He could see the dried blood encrusted along the face and neck of the man.

Joe kneeled in down with tears running down his face.

He wanted his mom. He wanted his dad. He wanted Frank, and he wanted them now.

* * *

_**AN: Yes... gross.. why did I put that? There are reasons which you will read very soon in the next chapters. Hoping for some reviews with lots of critism and/or reviews of liking my story? I don't know. Really don't like the ending? I can totally change it if you want if a bunch of people complain, because it kinda grossed me out too... but again I say there are reasons which will be explained soon because as you can see, this story is probably making you wonder, WHAT IS HAPPENING? If you are really really really smart, maybe you can figure it out because I have given out slight clues once and a while. SO THANX AGAIN! Hoping to see more reviews, and hearing from new people:)**_

_**- Lgbabyblu **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**AN: Just to answer a questions, I did mention that Joe had a very hoarse voice and his throat hurt, so yeah! Now he can talk! Why? It's all a mystery that I will reveal soon... how soon? I don't know. And yes... sorry for the shortness of my chapters but I update and write due to what I feel like writing. I really try to make it longer and I can, but it all really depends on where I feel should stop and where I feel a chapter should begin (Seriously, I've written chapters that have been 10,000 words before because I just couldn't stop writing because I didn't feel like it was to end). Thanks for the reviews :) Hope you all enjoy this new installment!**_

_**

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"Dad! I found something!" Frank yelled out excitedly as he hobbled quickly towards what looked like a camp site.

Fenton walked away from the river and headed towards the area where Frank was pointing at. It was indeed something. The area was packed down in areas where it was obvious that someone was lying and one was crouching. The most obviously clue of early inhabitants was a pile of burnt wood in the middle of the two sets of footprints.

Fenton bent down to touch the coals. The outside was cold, but as he put his hand near the inside, he could feel a slight hint of warmth meaning someone was here recently.

"There are foot prints heading into the forest." Frank said as he limped towards what looked like the entrance.

Frank could see that the person lying down on the ground was moving towards there and a person farther away was following.

Fenton walked to Frank who was staring intently at the ground and following the footprints.

Fenton had other things on his mind though. He looked around at their surrounding to find out some clue of the two people they were following. He scanned the area which was full of trees. The view of breathtaking if it weren't for the urgency of the situation.

The area wasn't much of a difference as he turned his head from left to right, but then he swung his head back as he zoomed in on a human-made object sticking out of a tree.

"Frank, stop." Fenton said as he walked over to the tree.

Grasping onto the stick like object with both his hands, he pulled the object out of the tree.

"An arrow?" Frank said as he took the arrow out of his dad's hands.

Suddenly, Frank's face paled.

The two people weren't together. The person lying down was being chased.

"Dad…Joe." Frank said as he looked at his dad in fear.

"I know son." Fenton said as they both continued to walk, but this time at a more frantic pace.

The footprints they were following were getting sloppier like the person kept falling.

They both hoped that they were following Joe, but then again a part of them hoped it wasn't Joe because the person being chased was obviously in danger.

"Frank, watch your step!" Fenton yelled out as he noticed something on the ground in front of Frank.

Fenton quickly pulled Frank back before his foot stepped in what appeared to be a trap.

"What is it?" Frank asked as his heart wildly thumped in his chest.

Fenton inspected the vine like rope on the ground. He bent down, lifted up a boulder and threw it at the untamed area surrounding the rope.

Both Frank and Fenton jumped back as the ground in front of them disappeared in a snap. Dust flew everywhere, making them both cough while trying to fan away the brown air.

"Dad? What was that?" Frank coughed as he fanned his arms back in forth around him so he could see without needing to squint.

"Just don't move until the air clears." Fenton said as they continued to fan.

When they both were able to see, their jaws nearly dropped to the ground at what Frank was about to step into. In front of them was a massive hole. The rock that Fenton had thrown into the loop of the hole was now hanging over a pit of spikes and deadly looking red spiders the size of half their palm.

"What the…" Frank said in shock. "What is wrong with this person with pits and spiders?" He said as he scratched his head.

"They put you in a pit too?" Fenton said as Frank shook his head.

"I fell into one. It looked like someone else was in it before me." Frank said as he started walking around the obstruction. "Someone had carved out step holes so it wasn't that hard to get out."

Now it was Fenton's turn to be confused.

"I woke up in a pit full of spiders and I carved out steps to get out of it." Fenton said as he tried to mull over the situation.

If Frank had fallen into the hole that he had gotten out of, that means the person or person's who had divided them didn't put them very far apart.

"Dad, what if there were more traps? Joe could have—"

"Don't say that." Fenton said as his fatherly, protective side of him spiked into a high red alert.

Fenton couldn't bear to think that one of his children were hurt somewhere nearby and he just walked by.

"Dad, is it just me or do I see somebody over there." Frank said as he pointed down a worn down path.

"I think it is." Fenton said as a huge smile was plastered on his face.

Frank started hobbling towards the figure in the distance but at a slower pace. He didn't want to fall into a trap like the one that they had just walked by.

"Hey! Hello!" Frank yelled out as he waved his arms wildly to try to get the man's attention, but the figure didn't move.

When they got close enough, there was a retched smell.

"What's that—" Fenton was about to say when Frank suddenly stopped.

Fenton looked at where Frank was looking at and his chest seemed to want to cave in on him as the feeling of relief overwhelmed him.

"Joseph!" Fenton yelled out as he ran to his son who had yet to acknowledge his presence. "Joseph?" Fenton said again at his youngest son who was staring off at space.

The lack of movement from Joe was scaring both Frank and Fenton who tried to get Joe to do something.

When Frank went in to try to hug his brother, his touch seemed to bring the teenager out of his state of shock into a frantic condition.

Joe threw his arms away to push Frank back.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY!" Joe said in a stuttering yell of fear.

Tears were streaming down his pale face as he tried to back away from the two people who loved him more than anything in the world, but he didn't seem to realize who they were.

"Joseph!" Fenton said as the scene broke his heart.

What had happened to his son to make him act this way?

"Joseph, it's me. Baby, its Daddy." Fenton said as Joe seemed to calm down a little bit.

Fenton inched forward at his shaking son before enveloping him in a hug. He stroked Joe's hair as Joe cried into his chest.

"Daddy… get him away. Gggg…et him aaa…way." Joe said in complete distress as his father hugged him closer.

Frank was still immobile from where he was pushed away. Guilt washed over him like waves of clean water that wasn't supposed to touch his skin. When he heard Joe say 'Get him away' he thought it had meant him.

"What is it Joey." Fenton said as he unconsciously reverted back to a name he had used for his son as a young boy.

Back when he was still a hero to his son and everything was healed by soft words of lullabies, hugs and Band-Aids. When had his sons grown up, because when the keeper of time decided to speed up the seconds of time, he wasn't informed at the meeting. He wished he could have been there for his son, but he had failed time and time again. His sons had encountered dangerous situations before they could walk on their two feet and had been targeted by more people than a father of a mafia. Where had everything gone so wrong? Now he didn't even know if they would survive another day or even another hour.

Something was bothering Fenton. He was missing something. Suddenly, he remembered as another set of alarms seemed to ring in his ears.

"Frank, where's that man you were walking towards?" Fenton said as Joe seemed to stiffen up.

"No, no. Don't look at it!" Joe said hysterically, trying to avert their attention away from the scarecrow, but they had already turned their heads.

"Oh my…" Frank said before the acid in his stomach spilled onto the feral land beneath him.

Fenton's face contorted to a look of horror. He pulled Joe closer, kissing him on his head over and over before looking away.

"It's okay Baby. It's okay. I understand now. We'll go away." Fenton said as he stumbled through his words quickly.

The man's face was etched on his brain. Who would do such a thing? That made Fenton want to get his son away from this place as fast as possible, even if it meant he could possibly be another victim, but he wasn't going to let his sons be.

* * *

_I tried so hard to warn them and yet they keep coming. I wanted to avenge the deaths of the men I've killed but I can not beat my superior. Not boys, I will and can not kill boys. How much of my soul must he take from me? I can not and will not, but that doesn't mean I won't because I'm no longer in control. Their fate now lies in the hands of something much greater….._

_

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**AN: MoooHAHAHAHA! I hope you people aren't too confused because I'm confused too... hmmm.. What is going on? Have I just gone crazy or do I have some brilliant plan, or am I just winging it? I don't know, probably a little of both and a lot of winging. Hope you have enjoyed this chapter because I have school tomorrow! Chapters might be a little later, I don't know depends... A little encouragement wouldn't hurt :) Again, thank you and KILL my story all you want with flames, but again, if you do, please give me a logical reason. Thanx again!**_

_** Love,**_

_**Lgbabyblu **  
_


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